


The Masks We Wear

by katlynwtf



Category: Naruto, Naruto Shippuden
Genre: Angst, Drinking, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Violence, awkward kakashi is awkward af, between original and shippuden, good old fashioned makeout session
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 23:50:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12995217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katlynwtf/pseuds/katlynwtf
Summary: Tenzo has seen Kakashi express a variety of emotions in the time that he's know him, but each and every one of them had been another mask he wore, carefully calculated, chosen for a specific purpose to a specific end. This, though... Something about this was different.





	1. Shelter

Night falls over the Land of Fire, and for the first time since they'd set foot on the plain, Tenzo is glad for the lack of tree cover. The sky is a beautiful shade of blue so dark it's almost black, every star in the heavens visible in its vast expanse. Beneath its pale light, he feels incredibly small - he's never given much thought to how big the universe actually is, but to see it spread out in the sky above him now is truly incredible.

He chances a glance to his left, immediately regretting the decision when he sees Kakashi bathed in the soft, ethereal light of the moon - the sight is more stunning than the stars in the sky, and he has to force himself to tear his eyes away, to focus on the path before them. They still have at least one more day of travel until they reach the Hidden Leaf Village, maybe two if they stop to rest. He knows he can't afford to let himself be distracted, but he can't seem to stop himself from glancing at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye, drawn to the way the pale moonbeams soften his features, the way he...

No. He can't do this right now. He needs to focus his energies on making sure they're not being followed, that there is no one waiting to ambush them while they're out in the open. Shaking his head to clear it, he looks forward once more, expanding his senses in search of unfamiliar chakra signatures. For now, he only feels the electric hum of Kakashi's chakra beside him, so close that it seems to spark along his nerve endings, raising the hair on the back of his neck - a familiar edge of danger in an otherwise still night. It's been a long time since they've been on a mission together, but the brush of Kakashi's chakra against his own is as comforting as it's always been.

They reach the treeline without incident - just before they pass into the shadows of the forest, Tenzo lets himself take one last glimpse of Kakashi in the moonlight, committing the sight to memory. It's over in an instant, and he can no longer make out the few exposed details of Kakashi's face in the dark. It's probably for the better.

Out of no where, a burst of sharp chakra rips across Tenzo's senses, and he sees Kakashi put his mask on and disappear an instant before a barrage of kunai thud into the ground where Kakashi had just been. Paper bombs flutter in the breeze created by the motion, and he leaps back out of the blast range in the nick of time. He loses Kakashi's chakra signature in the commotion, but he isn't given a chance to think about what that could mean as an enemy shinobi materializes in front of him.

Now that they're attacking instead of hiding, Tenzo can feel six unfamiliar chakra signatures - the one in front of him, two more moving in the branches above, converging on a point several feet behind him where the last three are. He makes quick work of the enemy he is facing, leaving him bound to the nearest tree with Mokuton restraints, then runs in the direction the others are heading, concealing his chakra as he moves.

He can feel the two in the trees stop, and before they can move again, he forms quick signs and plants his hand against the tree they're in - they cry out in surprise as Mokuton bindings wind around them, pulling them from the branches to leave them dangling in the air.

Three down, and he can only assume the other three are with Kakashi.

Quickening his pace, he bursts through the trees into a small clearing, eyes taking in the scene in an instant - Kakashi is battling two of them at once, a kunai gripped in each hand as he parries their attacks. The third has spotted Tenzo and is now rushing in his direction, sword in hand.

Drawing his own kunai, Tenzo ducks as the shinobi swings his sword - the enemy is fast, but so is he, spinning around his legs to straighten behind him. The slice of his blade across the shinobi's throat makes an unsettling sound.

That sound is forgotten the instant an arm, impossibly strong, wraps around his throat. He struggles for air as it tightens, kicking wildly - he still feels two chakra signatures with Kakashi, which means there was a seventh enemy, hiding himself from view. How could he have missed that?

His kunai falls from his hand as he tries to pull the arm from his throat - his lungs are burning, his vision darkening around the edges, but still he fights. He refuses to die here. He refuses to let himself be another person that dies in front of Kakashi.

His legs still as his body weakens, and suddenly, a raw, visceral scream of rage tears through the night. Though the rapid pulse of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he slowly dies is deafening, somehow that scream is the loudest sound. Whatever is happening behind Tenzo, Kakashi is furious - the kind of furious that will only end with bloodshed and death.

The arm around his neck suddenly loosens, and Tenzo drops to the ground like a bag of rocks, weakly gasping for air. He can hear the shinobi that had been strangling him moving, clearly perceiving Kakashi as the greater threat. Tenzo doesn't blame him - he can be dangerous, but he has never been as dangerous as Kakashi.

Tenzo scrambles to his feet and spins around when he hears Kakashi cry out, eyes widening in horror as his superior's mask shatters, sending shards of white porcelain into his face. He reacts without thinking, drawing a kunai and throwing it - his aim is off, and the enemy easily deflects it, but the distraction is all Kakashi needs to get the upper hand.

The sound of birds lingers in the air long after his Chidori has faded, and they are left standing together in the carnage.

"You okay?" Kakashi asks, blinking away the blood in his fearsome, mismatched eyes as he looks over at Tenzo. His fury is still painted clearly on his face in crimson spatters.

Tenzo has seen Kakashi express a variety of emotions in the time that he's know him, but each and every one of them had been another mask he wore, carefully calculated, chosen for a specific purpose to a specific end. This, though... Something about this was different. Something about this had rattled him.

In all the years Tenzo has known Kakashi, he has never seen him lose control like this before.

"I'm fine. Still breathing," he finally manages, but his hand is shaking as he raises it to wipe away the sweat dripping into his eyes, and he can tell by the rise of Kakashi's brow that he doesn't quite believe him. "You? You're bleeding."

"Still breathing," Kakashi echoes him, glancing down at the blood splashed across his uniform, a stark contrast of crimson on grey. "I'm pretty sure most of it isn't mine." Tenzo's eyes trail over his senpai anyway, searching for injuries - his gaze settles on something clenched in Kakashi's hand, and it takes him a moment to realize it's a human heart. Noticing him staring, Kakashi raises his hand and straightens his fingers, eyes mildly curious as he looks at the organ, blackened by his Chidori. "Oh. I didn't mean to do that."

There's something about the simple, unaffected way he says it that leaves Tenzo uneasy. It reminds him of before - before his promotion, before Team Seven.

He's starting to think that Kakashi putting his mask back on was a bad idea.

"Come on," Kakashi says, drawing Tenzo's attention back to the present as he casually tosses the heart aside, reaching up and beginning to pull the shards of his mask from his face. "While I take care of the bodies, you should make a shelter so we can patch up and rest." Tenzo can only bring himself to nod in response, watching silently as Kakashi pulls out the last shard of porcelain before turning his attention to the dead.

While Kakashi sets to work clearing away the bodies, Tenzo focuses his own attention on a nearby tree, taller and wider around than the others - if they went up high enough, it would be much safer than trying to shelter on the ground. Closing his eyes, he presses his palms to the rough bark.

He feeds his chakra slowly into the tree's natural energy flow, an image taking shape in his mind of a shelter high in its leafy branches. His chakra responds instantly, the branches overhead creaking in protest as a small shelter begins to form among them, just big enough to fit Tenzo and Kakashi comfortably. He cuts off the flow of chakra when he deems the shelter good enough, stepping back with a heavy sigh and turning to scan the treeline around the edge of the clearing for Kakashi. He doesn't see him at first, which worries him, but finally he emerges from the shadows, wiping his hands on his pants. His stoic mask is back in place as he approaches Tenzo.

The worry that has been winding tight in his chest since Kakashi had lost control clenches around his heart as he leads Kakashi up the tree to their small shelter, but he forces himself to push it aside - he knows he won't be able to make Kakashi talk about it, and even if he did, there's nothing he can do about it now. For now, his priority is taking care of Kakashi's injuries - but first, they'll need light.

Discarding his mask, Tenzo digs into his pack until he finds the candles and matches he had packed, setting the candles down on the floor and lighting them, filling the small shelter with the soft glow of gently flickering flames. He drips a bit of wax onto the floor to anchor the candles, and once he's sure they won't fall over, he reaches back into his pack to find what he'll need to clean and dress Kakashi's wounds.

He can feel Kakashi watching him as he arranges his supplies, and in this small space, he's sure the older man can hear the way his heartbeat quickens in response to the scrutiny.

"Okay, I..." The realization of what he needs Kakashi to do next gives him pause, and he looks up, nervously biting his lip. He's not sure how to ask this of his senpai. He supposes he should just say it. "I need you to take off your mask."

Kakashi cocks his brow, but doesn't say anything as he complies with Tenzo's request, tugging his mask down around his neck. Under different circumstances, Tenzo might have been flattered that he did so without hesitation.

Under different circumstances, Tenzo might have let himself stare. Instead, he looks down again, picking up the cloth sitting near his knee. He dampens the cloth with water from his canteen, then sets to work on Kakashi's face.

He works in silence for a long while, acutely aware of Kakashi's one-eyed gaze fixed on him but trying desperately to ignore it - he can tell his senpai wants to say something, but he isn't going to ask. Whatever it is, Kakashi will speak when he's ready.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Kakashi finally says, and Tenzo's hands, busy taping a bandage to his face, still at his low, apologetic tone. When he glances up to meet Kakashi's gaze, he finds that his expression has softened, his uncovered eye reflecting an unexpected worry. "I didn't mean-"

"You have nothing to apologize for," Tenzo interrupts, just as quiet as he returns his attention to his task. "And you don't owe me any explanations."

"I do, though." He heaves a sigh, and Tenzo can't help but tense slightly when Kakashi's hand curls around his, pulling it away from his face. It's an unexpected gesture, and a startling one - Kakashi has never been one to initiate any kind of physical contact. When he looks up again, he finds Kakashi's eye closed. "I don't know what happened. All I do know is that you couldn't breathe, and I just... I lost it. I thought you were going to die and I lost it."

"Kakashi..." Tenzo doesn't know what to say - and even if he did, he isn't sure he would be able to say it, not with the way his racing heart has just leapt into his throat. Instead, he pulls his hand from Kakashi's and focuses on taping on the last bandage. His mind is racing, but his thoughts are jumbled, incoherent - nothing makes sense right now, nothing but the warmth of Kakashi's hand as it comes to rest on the side of his neck. His gaze snaps up once more, confused brown eyes meeting dark, unreadable grey.

The tension between them is almost palpable, and Tenzo waits with bated breath for whatever is about to happen.

"Can I kiss you?" Kakashi asks softly after a long moment. Tenzo doesn't know what he was expecting, if he was expecting anything at all, but it most definitely wasn't that.

Even more surprising is his own breathless whisper, barely audible, but somehow it seems to echo in the small space.

"Yes."

Tenzo's breath catches in his throat as Kakashi leans in, hesitating for a fraction of a second; he can hear the ragged, trembling breath Kakashi takes just before their lips touch, can feel the slight flex of his fingers against the side of his neck just before they slide around to his nape, holding him there.

Not that he's going anywhere.

Kakashi's lips are a little clumsy against his, a little tentative, but soft, gentle and slow, as though he is unsure of his own actions. When he draws back, exhaling slowly, he looks almost afraid.

Tenzo knows without a doubt that this is not just another mask. That vulnerability is real, as real as the rapid beat of Kakashi's heart beneath his hand when he lets it rest against his chest.

He knows, probably better than anyone, how life has beaten the dream of connection out of Kakashi, how it has told him time and time again that it will end in nothing but heartbreak, and all he wants to do now is show Kakashi that there is nothing to be afraid of.

It's Tenzo who closes the distance between them once more, kissing Kakashi with increased urgency as he pours every bit of himself into showing Kakashi that he is here.

He can't promise him a world free of death, of pain and agony and miserable nights - but he can promise him a world in which he never has to be alone again. He can promise him that, if he wants it, everything he has to offer is his. That _he_  is his.

That he has always been his.

Tenzo can't pinpoint the exact moment in his life when it happened, but somewhere along the line he had fallen in love with Kakashi, the kind of love that left a bittersweet ache deep in his chest because, until this moment, he had never even let himself _dream_ that it might one day become a reality. Even now, with Kakashi kissing him like his life depends on it, Tenzo is waiting for the other shoe to drop.

And then it does. Kakashi suddenly breaks away from the kiss, entire body trembling as he sits back, drawing his knees to his chest and covering his mouth with one hand - something has spooked him. Tenzo reaches out without thinking, and the way Kakashi flinches away leaves him reeling like a punch to the gut. What has he done?

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi," he chokes out, regret clenching around his heart like a vice - while Kakashi had been the one to ask if he could kiss him, Tenzo had pushed it too far. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's not you," Kakashi mumbles behind his fingers, reaching up to run a shaking hand through his hair. Tenzo doesn't miss the way he can't look at him, and his chest tightens painfully. "It's me. I'm sorry, it's... it's too much. I can't."

His open eye finally meets Tenzo's, and the fear he sees there, buried in a dark, stormy sea of emotions he can't even begin to put names to... it's a glimpse into Kakashi's very soul, and it's absolutely heartbreaking.

"It's okay." Tenzo forces himself to keep his voice level as he looks away - he's hurt, disappointed, but Kakashi doesn't need to know that. Forcing what he hopes is a reassuring smile, he changes the subject. "We should get some sleep, it's still another day's journey back to the village."

"Tenzo." Kakashi's hand catches his before he can move, drawing his gaze back up. His mask is covering the lower half of his face again, but his visible eye still shows vulnerability, uncertainty. "I can't promise anything, but maybe... Maybe we could get a drink when we get home?" The question floods Tenzo's body with relief, and this time, his smile is genuine.

"Yeah, I'd like that," he replies. Kakashi's mask bunches slightly at the corners of his mouth as he returns Tenzo's smile, and even though he can't truly see it, the gesture fills Tenzo with warmth. He wonders vaguely what that smile looks like without the mask in the way - a thought for another day. Perhaps he'll get to see it when they get back to the village.

For now, though, he lets himself relax, leaning back against his pack and stretching his legs out. Beside him, though on the opposite side of the shelter, Kakashi does the same, and together they snuff out the candles.

Tenzo lays awake long after Kakashi has surrendered to sleep, mind reeling as he tries to take stock of all that has happened. His fingers brush his neck as he remembers the warmth of Kakashi's hand there, the simple action innocent in a way neither of them had ever been - it's difficult to reconcile that with the fact that less than ten minutes before, that same hand had pulled a man's heart from his chest. Neither action was something Tenzo had ever thought Kakashi capable of.

Pushing that thought from his mind, he closes his eyes - as much as he wants to figure Kakashi out, to understand why their kiss earlier had been too much, it will do him no good right now. He needs sleep, and the sooner he does that, the sooner he can go home. The sooner he can have that drink with Kakashi.  _That_  is what he needs to focus on right now.

The rest will come in time.


	2. Harder Than Easy

It's been three weeks since the kiss that shifted his entire world, and Kakashi has been avoiding Tenzo - he's not even sure he means to do it, but for a moment, he had let himself be vulnerable, and he doesn't know how to deal with that. He's not proud of it, wishes that he was different, that he could be someone who could let Tenzo care... but he is afraid.

Kakashi is not a man that scares easily - but something about Tenzo absolutely terrifies him.

So he avoids him. He avoids Tenzo because the sight of him dying had pushed Kakashi to an extreme he hadn't thought himself capable of anymore, because Tenzo has awakened feelings within Kakashi that he never wanted to feel again. He avoids him because he doesn't want to care about something that death can touch - but it's hard. It is so hard to resist the kind, gentle pull of Tenzo's smile, the warmth he exudes in that simple gesture, the innocent hope that still has a home in his eyes despite all the pain he has endured. It's so hard to resist the way he cares, so willing to give so wholly of himself even when he knows he shouldn't.

He wants that, he thinks, wants it so desperately it's like a physical ache deep in his chest, and he would give anything to lose himself to that smile, to give in to the way that Tenzo so clearly wants to care for him. He wants it, wants Tenzo, and it hurts. It hurts because he knows he can never have what he wants with him. He doesn't deserve it, and he would be a fool to ever let himself believe otherwise - but even so, he wants it.

The problem is, he just can't help himself. One night, a little drunk and a whole hell of a lot of lonely, he throws his better judgement out the window, puts on his shoes, and leaves his apartment, making his way through the quiet, sleeping village to Tenzo's house. He stops several times on the way, turns around to go home before convincing himself to keep going, until he finds himself standing outside Tenzo's door.

Kakashi hesitates with his knuckles inches from the wood, doubt setting in fully now that he's here. If he does this, if he dares to knock, there's a very real possibility that he will be Tenzo's end - that he will take his smile, take the innocence and hope from his eyes. He knows that he will ruin him... but he sucks in a trembling breath and knocks on the door anyway.

_Gods, don't let this be a mistake._

It takes Tenzo so long to answer his knock that Kakashi almost thinks he won't, but finally the door opens and he's standing there, stifling a yawn and rubbing at warm brown eyes bleary with sleep. He blinks groggily, and then his eyes widen as he registers that Kakashi is standing on his doorstep.

"Senpai?" he stammers, clearly confused, and as much as Kakashi wants to turn tail and run, he finds himself rooted to the spot, unable to tear his uncovered eye from Tenzo's unfairly endearing expression. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." Kakashi starts, rather lamely in his opinion, reaching up to rub the back of his neck nervously. He doesn't know what to say. "I thought we could get that drink."

"It's three in the morning," Tenzo replies, but steps back to let him in anyway, an edge of concern creeping into his voice. "Are you not sleeping again?"

"So it is." Kakashi chuckles uncomfortably, lowering his hand to his side. He doesn't answer Tenzo's question, and it doesn't go unnoticed - Tenzo opens his mouth to say something about it, but before he can Kakashi steps through the doorway, closing the door as he closes the distance between them, and Tenzo's breath audibly hitches.

In that moment, standing chest-to-chest with Tenzo in the dark foyer, locked into that concerned stare, he almost wants to weep. He doesn't know why, doesn't understand it, but Tenzo worries about him more than anyone has in a long time. With just one look, he can see all of Kakashi's broken pieces and, somewhere in the midst of his chaos, find something worth caring about.

He sees something worth saving.

And maybe, if Kakashi is lucky, maybe he sees something worth loving.

Tenzo's familiar scent wafts over him, the smell of soap, crisp and clean, of trees in the springtime and damp forest floor, filling what little space remains between them. It's as overwhelming as it had been in their shelter. But unlike in the shelter, he doesn't ask. He doesn't need to - he can see the answer in Tenzo's eyes. In one smooth motion, he pulls down his mask and leans in.

Tenzo's lips are soft, his mouth warm and inviting as he accepts Kakashi's kiss, his hands hesitantly coming to rest on Kakashi's sides. It's a simple touch, a gentle one, but Kakashi fights the instinct to tense all the same - everything within him is screaming at him to run, but as Tenzo's fingers press into his ribs, tongue flicking experimentally across his lower lip, he finds that he can't move, can't bear to ruin this moment.

Kakashi sighs against Tenzo's mouth when the younger man presses closer, trembling fingertips resting on the nape of his neck. His fear is raging full force within him - he is former Anbu, he has sought physical release with others before, but he has never kissed them, has never allowed this simple intimacy that Tenzo so freely gives to him now. It's something new, unfamiliar and frightening... but the flutter he feels his chest standing there kissing Tenzo is also strangely exciting.

Tenzo is the first to break the kiss, but he doesn't release Kakashi, his fingers tightening on his shirt and forehead pressing to his. His ragged breathing ghosts across Kakashi's lips, and when Kakashi dares to open his eyes, he finds Tenzo peering at him through the fringe of his lashes, and the shameless awe he sees in his expression, the wonder and adoration, absolutely floors him.

Gods, that look - the tentative smile slowly turning up the corners of Tenzo's mouth, the breathless way he murmurs Kakashi's name, that heartbreakingly vulnerable feeling that makes its home in the spaces between Kakashi's ribs when Tenzo angles in to kiss him again... That look is as beautiful as it is terrifying.

Kakashi's body seems to move of his own accord as he turns, his fingers tightening on the nape of Tenzo's neck as he slowly walks him back the few short steps to the wall, pinning him there with the full length of his body. Tenzo lets out a surprised little moan at the sudden pressure, and the sound sets something in Kakashi on fire. He deepens the kiss as he pushes closer, desperately seeking something within Tenzo that he had never dared to let himself want before Tenzo had wandered so carelessly into his life.

And Tenzo gives it. He gives it without hesitation, without question, and that's enough to stop Kakashi cold.

He backs away so quickly he stumbles over his own feet, catching himself on the opposite wall. He presses himself flat against it, palms firmly against the white plaster, breathing heavily and staring wide-eyed across the small space at Tenzo. Tenzo's startled gaze meets his, cheeks flushed and eyes glazed with want, and _gods_  does he love that he is the one to elicit that reaction from him, _gods_  does he want to see what other reactions he can bring out of him, but his fear is racing through his veins, telling him to run as far as he can as fast as he can.

_You'll ruin him,_  he thinks, unable to tear his gaze away from the confusion beginning to take hold in Tenzo's expression. _If you let yourself take what he is giving, you will ruin him._

"Kakashi..." Tenzo takes a hesitant step forward, then another when Kakashi doesn't retreat, until his hands press flat to the wall on either side of him. They both know Kakashi could easily escape the flimsy cage Tenzo has created, but still, he doesn't move. Tenzo sighs. "Maybe we should have that drink after all."

"Yeah," Kakashi breathes after a long, tense moment. He blinks slowly at Tenzo, who chances a small smile. "Yeah, maybe we should."

Kakashi follows easily as Tenzo moves away from the wall, taking his hand and leading him into the living room. He releases his hand near the couch, disappearing through a doorway and coming back a moment later with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

One drink becomes two. Two becomes four. Four melts into a kiss, soft and chaste, and the next thing Kakashi knows, he's covering his eyes against bright sunlight streaming through thin curtains, and through the haze of sleep and the thrum of his own pulse heavy in his skull, it takes him a moment to remember the night before. The details slowly bleed back in - in fragments at first, bit by bit until they form a full picture, from the moment he arrived at Tenzo's door to the moment they fell asleep. _Tenzo_.

Tenzo is a heavy weight on his chest, head nestled into the crook of his neck, warm and strangely comforting. Before he can think about it, his arms move, wrapping gingerly around the younger man - Tenzo stirs at the hesitant touch, but doesn't wake, nuzzling his nose into Kakashi's skin. His body shifts as he settles back down, and Kakashi is suddenly aware of his own arousal, hard against Tenzo's hip. _Oh no._  Not now.

He is slow and careful as he tries to move out from under Tenzo, but he only has one leg off the couch when Tenzo stirs once more, lifting his head to blink groggily at him.

"'Kashi? Time is it?" he mumbles, pushing himself up just a little, and then he freezes, eyes slowly widening as he realizes what's happening. It would almost be comical, if Kakashi weren't so embarrassed at the entire situation - he hadn't meant to fall asleep here, and he certainly hadn't meant to wake with an erection while Tenzo was on top of him. "Oh."

"I'm sorry," Kakashi says quietly, tipping his head back and closing his eyes, wishing he could sink through the couch. Normally, he is unbothered by waking like this - normally, he'll have a shower, deal with it, and be on his way. Normally, though, he wakes up alone. "I should go."

Tenzo doesn't say anything, and Kakashi's heartbeat stutters when his kohai suddenly shifts, straddling his hips. He opens his eye when he feels hands, softer than they should be for the work they do, brush gently across his face and into his hair before coming to rest on the arm of the couch. Above him, Tenzo's cheeks are flushed, his eyes both curious and hesitant as he leans in.

There are drums in his ears, pounding rapidly with increasing vigor when Tenzo alters his trajectory, lips brushing against his jaw in the barest whisper of a kiss.

It takes him a moment to realize the drums he hears are actually his own heartbeat.

Kakashi inhales sharply when Tenzo's lips trail down his neck, hips shifting against his, and his hands involuntarily lift to clutch at Tenzo's thighs - whether to aid his movement or to keep him still, he doesn't know. All he does know is that Tenzo lifts his head to look at him at the touch, and the hope he sees flickering to life in the younger man's eyes is breathtaking.

He will regret this, he knows he will, but the way Tenzo is looking at him... that look is his undoing.

Kakashi's arms encircle Tenzo as he sits up, pulling him into a bruising kiss that catches the both of them off guard. Tenzo lets out a startled little squeak at the sudden motion, but goes with it, his own arms wrapping around Kakashi's neck. Kakashi shudders as one of his hands slides up into his hair, crushing his kohai closer to his chest.

One kiss bleeds into another, and another, until Kakashi shifts, moving to press Tenzo beneath him on the couch. It becomes something more - something needy, something urgent, edged with a desperation that, were he standing, would bring him to his knees.

And he is helpless to fight it.

Tenzo is freely giving something to him that he knows he does not deserve - something he knows he should not accept, but cannot bring himself to reject. So he takes, against all better reasoning and judgment, what is being offered to him, and hopes that he is not making a mistake.

Tenzo's lips part in a soft sigh as Kakashi's hands slip under the hem of his shirt and up his sides, fingers pressing into his ribs. He uses the opening to deepen the kiss, tongue delving into the wet warmth of Tenzo's mouth.

It's over far too soon. One minute, Kakashi is prepared to divest Tenzo of his clothing and have him right there on that tiny couch, the next someone is knocking at the door, forcing them to separate. Tenzo offers an apology as Kakashi stands, urging him to sit once more while he deals with the visitor, but before he can walk off, Kakashi catches his hand.

"Dinner tonight," he says, and he means for there to be more words, for it to sound more like a question, but with most of his mental capacity trapped in the confines of his pants at the moment, this is the best he can manage. To his credit, Tenzo doesn't seem to mind the rather blunt invitation, chuckling as he leans in to kiss him once more.

"I wouldn't miss it," he murmurs against his lips before pulling away again, squeezing his fingers. "Be here at seven." He releases his hand, reaching down to adjust himself before heading to the door, and Kakashi can only stare after him in absolute disbelief - he hadn't expected him to actually say yes.

After a moment, worry begins to set in. He doesn't know the first thing about dates and dating, if that's even what this is, or if that's even what Tenzo wants it to be. Maybe Tenzo, still Anbu and therefore still mentally and emotionally coded the way Anbu are trained to be, is simply seeking what he once had, and doesn't want anything more from this. Maybe-

Maybe he's overthinking this, he rationalizes as Tenzo comes back into the room, looking both surprised and pleased to see him still standing there, and the smile that spreads across his face erases every shred of doubt from his mind.

Kakashi is not alone in this. Tenzo wants him, too, and all he has to do is figure out how the hell to open up and let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here is part 2 at long last, and now, you have a smutty part 3 to look forward to!
> 
> Disclaimer: Naruto and all recognizable characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

**Author's Note:**

> Yooo have some KakaYama. This originally wasn't meant to be a two-parter, but stuff happens, ya know? I hope you like it!
> 
> Disclaimer: Naruto and all recognizable characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


End file.
